


Queen in a Field

by brieflyshystarfish



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan Fluff, F/F, Fluff, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 12:12:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8844502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brieflyshystarfish/pseuds/brieflyshystarfish
Summary: Emma and Regina "defeat" the Evil Queen. Quick read, one-shot, SQ all the way.





	

Deciding to trap the Queen in an enchanted field was Regina's idea. Well, eventually. At first the idea lingered at the edge of her consciousness, like a cloud or a dream or a shadow. Regina closed her eyes, unwilling to pull at it. Instead, she shot up like a bolt from her seat at Snow's table and said to no one in particular and Emma, always Emma, in particular, "I have an idea."

Emma resisted immediately, as Regina predicted, maybe, she would. Because when Regina offered up these ideas she was offering herself up as sacrifice, sort of, always, and Emma would never just let her. 

Also, they kept having these conversations in doorways. The doorway out of Snow's apartment, specifically. It went like this: Regina tossed a casual idea over her shoulder, Emma ran to physically intercept her. Like today: 

Regina got as far as one hand brushing the doorknob. "I have an idea," she said again. 

"One that will get you killed?"

"I don't have a death wish, Emma, no matter what you think." 

Emma considered Regina carefully, then in a characteristically neutral voice, said, "Maybe we both do, a little. Savior complex." Her lip quirked up. "That's supposed to be my problem, not yours."

Regina glared at Emma for a moment before her expression softened. "Nobody dies, okay? I won't do anything hasty." But Emma didn't move, arms crossed across her chest, still blocking the door, and Regina sighed, holding her hands up as if in surrender. "No tricks, okay?" 

"We go together."

"Okay. But the vault first." 

Emma held the door open for Regina. "You're not going to tell me what we're going to do?"

"No," Regina said. "I'm not even going to think it first. If I think it, she'll catch it."

Emma spun on her heel to face Regina, nearly tripping down the stairs. Regina grasped Emma's arm to steady her, ignoring the causal sparks that littered her belly and jittered up her spine whenever she came too close to her friend. "You mean you have no idea what we're going to do? The plan is no plan at all?"

"Nope. And yep." And then Regina smiled ruefully. 

Emma barked out a short laugh, glanced quickly into Regina's eyes, snagged there for a moment on the rich and soft with whatever Regina's eyes grew soft and rich-glowy with when she looked at Emma. Then Regina lifted one hand, the other still holding onto Emma's arm, and they apparated. 

______

 

Of course the queen was waiting, all complex tenderness and rage. 

Of course Regina wavered, looking at herself in that getup, her old self, her perpetual self. 

The answer came quickly. And yes they apparated to a field. And the Queen took Emma with them, snorting derisively at her other half, "I know you cannot be a minute without your pet." 

Then the Queen struck Regina, sending her flying across the field. Then the Queen disappaeared. 

And all would have been lost except. 

______

 

Emma leaned over, close enough that Regina could feel the heat of her body and the cloud of her scent. And when Regina came to, she looked up at Emma sharply, as if seeing her for the first time.

Emma. Emma was there. 

Her proximity pierced Regina's numbness. Lit a fire. Many fires. Emma. 

Regina suddenly felt bare, open, wild, unconstricted. She stared. How many lifetimes had they passed through? 

Emma returned her gaze, neither soft nor sharp. Fearless. 

Yes. 

Feral, they circled each other without moving. And had Emma held position for a split second longer, Regina would have broken all of the rules she had imposed to keep them--what? Safe? Whole? Protected?--in order to grasp Emma's face in her palms and kiss her rough and slow and deep. Take her to bed, finally. Make love to her savagely as she could. Knew how.

But Emma was swifter, on her feet and leaning over to place the softest press of her mouth against the dark, vivid bruise on Regina's temple. 

An arc of light spilled forward, out, out, out. 

"No, no no no no," Regina heard herself cry out. And Emma held on, reflexively tightening her arms and ducking her head to shield them both as a brilliant rainbow shattered, crashed, and surged through and around them. 

 

______

 

They came to in that same clearing, because a clearing is a liminal space. 

They came to within arm's reach but not touching. 

They came to at the same time, awareness of the other just barely preceeding awareness of the self. 

Because shit was so intense, it took each a moment to gather herself enough to cast a tentative glance over. 

When they did, Emma rolled onto her back and Regina sat up. Tentative turned to gazing. Their expressions mirrored, and Regina felt a small catch in the back of her throat, to know that the tenderness, the longing, the budding happiness, on Emma's face was written equally across her own. 

And it was okay. 

Regina broke into a smile first: a small, tentative beam, then a sunburst. And then, exactly like a wave, like relief, a grin washed over Emma's face too. 

They did not bridge the space between them right away. 

"Hey," Emma said. 

Then they both started to laugh. 

____

 

This is how Henry discovered his mothers: in the field, laughing.

"Moms!" he shouted, running towards them and dropping to his knees. "We figured out how--"

"Henry!" Regina was on her feet instantly, gripping their child so tight that Emma winced. He groaned and oofed as Regina refused to let go, repeating, "I'm okay, I'm okay," as the tears welled and the dam finally burst.

True love's kiss. She turned instinctively to Emma, who rose and wrapped one arm around each of them, bumping her head against Regina's until Regina's shoulders relaxed and she loosened her hold on Henry. 

______

Later that night, in the dark and cover of the living room, a small drink in her hand, curled beside Regina, Emma finally asked, "The Queen is gone?"

Regina returned her gaze fearlessly, now. "The Queen is me. Always. I want to love myself again, Emma."

Emma's eyes held Regina's in the dark for a moment, and when she exhaled, she reached for Regina. All of Regina: her wet eyes, her warm body, her heart full of love for everybody she loved, her history and her multiplicity of selves. 


End file.
